The ID Clinic

Our awesome project is the ID Clinic, facilitated by Pro Bono Students Canada. The ID Clinic helps the homeless and marginally housed in Kingston obtain government-issued identification. In addition to assistance with identification, we provide free legal referrals if an individual requires legal assistance. Government issued identification is essential for individuals to access key community services such as health care and banking, and it is awesome when all members of society have an equal opportunity to access these services!

The Clinic is run by six Queen's Law students and two lawyer supervisors from Cunningham Swan, and we conduct the clinic at Martha's Table in Kingston. This is the pilot year of the project in Kingston. Currently, we are able to assist with the paperwork for the Ontario Photo Card, which individuals can use for identification in place of a Driver's License. We hope to expand our services to assist with Health Cards as well in the future.The Clinic runs twice per month during the academic year, and we hope to continue the Clinic for years to come. We have run two sessions at Martha's Table so far, and have been approached by approximately 10-15 individuals who do not have a Photo Card or Driver's License, but would like to get a Photo Card. The major impediment for these individuals is the cost. They are very interested in getting the ID, but are unable to afford the $35 to get the card. Our clients come to learn about this service through word of mouth, and we estimate that once we are able to provide funding for these cards, interest will increase.